A Hardeeville scuba store has changed its name and relocated to a more accessible location off Interstate 95 at Exit 5.

“This location is vastly superior to where we were,” said John Campbell, an employee with I-95 Scuba who has been with the store since April. “We’re the northernmost Southern dive shop, the first dive shop on Interstate 95 before you get to Florida.”

Formerly known as Lowcountry Down Under, I-95 Scuba has seen increased sales since moving from its downtown location, according to part-owner Jamie Horner.

The scuba shop had its soft opening the weekend of June 21 and its grand opening last weekend.

“We’ve seen a 40- to 50-percent increase in sales,” said Horner, who also is a spearfishing instructor. “To give you an idea, we sold five wetsuits all last year at the old shop. I think we’ve sold 36 suits in just one month here. … If that’s any measure, the other thing is that we’re selling things at this location that weren’t selling at our old location.”

Though moving cost the store about 400 square feet, Horner said the new location has put it on the map just by being visible from the interstate.

“The No. 1 reason for being here is that 52,000 cars go by I-95 on a daily basis,” Horner said. “We chose Hardeeville as our location because of its proximity to Hilton Head to the east, Savannah to the south and Beaufort to the north. We’re accessible from Statesboro and Columbia. ... It’s a logical, central point for three markets here.”

The current store is a former gas station Horner and his business partner decided to purchase and revamp when their two-year lease ended. After two months of renovations, the team was ready for business.

“We had been looking for new locations as the end of the lease approached,” Horner said. “In December, we started scouting out a new location. The original location that we looked at did not work out, but we got this by default and that’s how life works out sometimes.”

I-95 Scuba has four instructors on staff with three additional employees.

“We’re a full-service dive shop,” Horner said. “We offer service on gear and rentals. We offer trips, we offer a full range of gear and we have four instructors on staff. Combined, we probably have somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 total years of experience between all of our staff and instruction.”

Horner’s goal is to grow the business and eventually have a larger store and compete with national brands like Diver’s Direct and Diver’s Supply.

The staff at I-95 Scuba also have access to an onsite pool it shares with a hotel next door. They are allowed the use of the pool seven days a week from 8 a.m. to noon.

Classes for those interested in scuba diving will be held by assistant manager and instructor Brad Nelson on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Called Discover Diving, the lessons are held five or six times a month.

“The nice thing about diving is that once you go under, everything above the surface of the water is left behind,” Horner said. “You’re just a part of the sea.”